Portable quilting apparatus



PORTABLE QUILTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 28, 1933 15 )3i fat( (15b k .9a'I' f lf l zo ,l

3mm/WO@ Figi @Wyk/M SMO/suman,

u access by the quilters Patented Mar. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 1,951,246 PORTABLE QUILTING APPARATUS Application December 28,1933, Serial No. 704,318

6 Claims.

The invention relates to portable quilting appa-y ratus, and moreparticularly to quilting apparatus which may be readily and convenientlyused in the home or other desired place in connection with the handmaking of large, quilted bedspreads, covers, or other similar articles,which quilting apparatus at all times protects the article being quiltedfrom being soiled or becoming dirty during the long and time consuminghand quilting thereof; and which quilting apparatus at all times holdsthose portions of the article not being worked from interfering with thehands of the quilter, thus enabling free and convenient hands to bothsurfaces of that portion of the article that is being worked.

When a large, plain or patterned, quilted bedspread, cover or similararticle is made by hand, the pattern or fancy work usually' is executedin the home, after which the article is taken to a professional quilterwho quilts the article.

The professional quilter, usually if not always, stretches the articlein a large quilting frame, similar to a curtain stretcher; and thequilting is therefore not only expensive, but requires considerable roomor Working space.

Quite recently, large hoops, preferably some two and one-half feet indiameter, have been used by those who wish to finish their own quilts athome Without the expense ofv employing a professional quilter. Theworking space in the home is usually limited, thus prohibiting the useof the usual large quilting frame,but on the contrary permitting the useof such hoops.

Moreover, such quilting hoops may be moved around and used at any placeor time, thus making quilting at home pleasant pick up work.

However, I have discovered, in using such quilting hoops, that althoughthey are quite satisfactory from the standpoint of portability andcompactness; the article being quilted may become very soiled and dirtyduring the long and time consuming hand quilting thereof, because themarginal or loose portions of the quilt hanging from the hoop may dragon the floor. Likewise, even if the loose marginal portions are pinnedup, they may continually rub or contact with objects that will soil thearticle, particularly when the work is laid away.

Of course if the quilt becomes soiled or dirty, the same could becleaned or Washed; but it is very undesirable to wash or clean quiltsimmediately after the quilting has been completed because the battingmay become matted orv lumpy and the colors in colored material used inmaking the quilt may run. Y

Moreover, the loose heavy marginal portions of the article which hangfrom the hoop, at all times interfere with the under hand or arm of theworker, as the quilting stitches are being made; and prevent free andconvenient access by the quilters under hand to the under surface ofthat portion of the article that is stretched in the hoop.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide portablequilting apparatus, which at all times protects the article beingquilted from becoming dirty or being soiled, and which at all timesholds the heavy loose or even gathered or tied up marginal portions ofthe article from interfering with the hands of the quilter, thusenabling free and convenient access by the quilters hands to thesurfaces of the article being worked.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide portablequilting apparatus which has a clean and attractive appearance and whichis not unsightly when laid aside.

And finally, it is an object of the present invention to provideportable quilting apparatus which is very inexpensive to make and whichis pleasant and convenient to use in the home where working space islimited, for quilting large bedspreads, covers and the like.

1 have discovered that these and other objects may be readily obtainedby portable quilting apparatus, a preferred embodiment of which is shownin the accompanying drawing, and hereinafter described in detail, andclaimed, which may be stated in general terms as including, a

vquilting hoop having inner and outer hoop members and means fortensioning the hoop members against each other to clamp a portion of thearticle being worked for stretching a portion of the same Within thehoop, preferably means secured to the hoop members for gathering up theheavy loose marginal portions of the article hanging from the hoop, anda removable cover having an annular pocket in which the hoop and theheavy loose marginal portions of the article are located, said coverhaving openings providing access to both surfaces of the stretchedportion of the article.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved portable quiltingapparatus showing the same in use;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view, parts being broken away andin section, of the improved portable quilting apparatus; and

Fig.. 3 isa sectional view of the improved port- The improved quiltingapparatus 4 preferably includes an inner ring hoop member 10, whichv maybe formed preferably from-a stripl of wood and may have a reinforcingblock 11 secured at the place where the ends of the Wooden strip areabutted.

The hoop also includes a preferably split-ring outer hoop member 12 alsopreferably formed from a wooden strip, to the ends of which, woodenblocks 13, may be secured; and a bolt 14 is preferably passed throughthe blocks 13, whereby a thumb nut 15 may be screwed onto the bolt 14for drawing the blocks 13 toward each other to tension the split-ringhoop member 12 and tightly clamp the portion 16 of a quilt or similararticle between the inner and outer hoop members 10 and 12 whereby theportion 8 of the quilt is stretched on the hoop.

The heavy loose marginal portions of the article to be quilted, whichhang from the hoop, may and preferably are folded on rolled up compactlyas indicated at 17 in Fig. 3; and are preferably tied or lield compactlyto the hoop at several places around the periphery of the hoop as by tiestrings 18a secured to the inner hoop member 10 at 19a, and tie strings18h secured to the outer hoop member 12 at 19h, the ends of the tiestrings 18a and 18?) being tied together as at 18e.

The improved portable quilting apparatus 4 also includes a cover member20 forming an annular pocket 20a in which the hoop members 10 and 12,the tensioning device 13-14-15, and the heavy loose marginal portions 17of the article to be quilted, are located, as best shown in Fig. 3.

The upper annular edge portion of the cover 20 is preferably providedwith a hem 21 forming an opening which provides access to the uppersurface of the stretched portion 8 of the article to be quilted; and thehem 21 may have therein a rubber band 22 for gathering the same toremovably secure the cover 20 to the hoop and 'article being quilted, asshown in the drawing. However, the means for securing the cover to thehoop and article is not necessarily a rubber band, for a draw string maybe readily substituted for the rubber band in the hem 21.

A smaller opening 23 is preferably provided in the underside of thecover through which access may be had tothe under surface of thestretched portion 8 of the article to be quilted, as best shown in Fig.3, wherein the hand 9a of a worker is shown reaching within the cover tothe under surface of the stretched portion 8 of the article beingquilted, While the other hand 9 of the worker manipulates the needle 24to make the quilting stitches 7. A

In using the improved portable quilting apparatus, the operations are asfollows:-

The quilt top, with the quiltingmarked thereon, is assembled to thecotton sheeting and the backing and the center portion of the assembledmaterials are then clamped between the hoop members 1U and 12 by theclamping device 13-14-'15.

The loose marginal portions of the quilt are then folded or rolled upcompactly as shown at 17 in Fig. 3, and are preferably tied or otherwiseheld to the hoop members 10 and 12 by any suitable means, as by the tiestrings 18a and 18h.

The removable cover 20 is then slipped over the hoop and the loosemarginalportions 17 of the article to be quilted so that the same arecontained within the pocket 20a formed by the cover 20 and the portion 8of the article to be quilted, which is stretched on the hoop, ispresented for being worked upon, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As the work progresses, the cover 20 may be removed from time to timeand the portion of the quilt to be worked, shifted in the hoop byremoving the hoop member l2 and shifting the position of the hoop member10.

Accordingly, the improved portable quilting apparatus at all timesprotects the article being quilted from becoming dirty or being soiled,because the cover member 20 entirely encloses the bulky and heavymarginal portions of the quilt.

' Moreover, the marginal portions ofthe quilt 17 are held up out of theway, closely to the hoop within the pocket of thecover 20, thuspreventing the same from interfering with the hands of the quilter.

Moreover, the large opening in the cover 20 at the upper surface of thestretched portion of the article being quilted, and the smaller opening23 in the underside of the cover 20, enable free and convenient accessat all times by the workers hands to the surfaces of the article beingquilted.

And iinally, the improved portable quilting apparatus has a clean,attractive and not unsightly appearance, as shown in Fig. 1; and may bemoved about and used at any height and in any position for executingplain or elaborate quilting patterns in a clean and convenient manner.

I claimz- 1. Portable quilting apparatus including a hoop, means forstretching a portion of an article to be quilted on the hoop with theheavy loose marginal portions of the article hanging from the hoop, aremovable cover having an annular pocket in which the hoop and the heavyloose hanging marginal portions of the article are located, and saidcover having openings providing access to both surfaces of the stretchedportion of the article.

2. Portable quilting apparatus including a hoop, means for stretching aportion of an article to be quilted on the hoop with the heavy loosemarginal portions of the article hanging from the hoop, means forholding the heavy loose hanging marginal portions of the articlecompactly to the hoop, a removable cover having an annular pocket inwhich the hoop and the heavy loose held marginal portions of the articleare located, and said cover having openings providing access to bothsurfaces of the stretched portion of the article.

3. Portable quilting apparatus including a hoop having inner and outermembers and a tensioning device for stretching a portion of an articleto be quilted on the hoop with the heavy loose marginal portions of thearticle hanging fro-m the hoop, a removable cover having an annularpocket 'm which the hoop members and ,theheavyloose hanging marginalportions of the article are .located, and said cover having .openingsproviding access to both surfaces of the `stretched portion of thearticle.

4. Portable -quilting apparatus including a hoop having innerV and outermembers and a tensioning device for stretching a portion of an articleto be quilted on the hoop with the heavy loose marginal portions of thearticle hanging from the hoop, means secured to both hoop members forholding the heavy loose hanging marginal portions of the articlecompactly to the hoop, a removable cover having an annular pocket inwhich the hoop and the heavy loose held hanging marginal portions of thearticle are located, and said cover having openings providing access toboth surfaces of the stretched portion of the article.

5. Portable quilting apparatus including a hoop having an inner ringmember, a split-ring outer member, and a tensioning device on the outermember for clamping a portion of an article to be quilted between thehoop members to stretch said portion on the hoop and leave the heavyloose marginal portions of the article hanging from the hoop; aremovable cover having an annular pocket enclosing and protecting saidhoop members, tensioning device and heavy loose hanging marginalportions of the article; and said covering having openings providingaccess to iboth surfaces of the stretched portion of the article.

6. Portable quilting apparatus including a hoop, means for stretching aportion of an article to be quilted on the A'hoop with the heavy loosemarginal portions of the article hanging from the hoop, a cover havingan annular pocket in which the hoop and the heavy loose hanging marginalportions of the article are located, means removably securing the coverto the hoop and article, and said cover having openings providing accessto both surfaces of the stretched portion of the article.

HELEN I. KIRKPATRICK.

